Babyshambles

Shotter's Nation (Astralwerks)

In his spare time, when he's not dodging jail sentences or fighting with his supermodel girlfriends, habitual drug abuser Pete Doherty makes music. But he really hasn't recorded anything worth listening to since the Libertines completed their second album three years ago — right around the time Doherty's life fell into the crapper. Down in Albion, the 2005 CD he made with his new band, Babyshambles, sounded like it was put together between rehab stints. But Shotter's Nation is a more cohesive and solid listen — even if it pretty much amounts to his one-sided view of drugs, fame and music. But there's plenty of three-minute Britpop here that sparks with genuine melody, danger and excitement. You can't listen to Nation without hearing about Doherty's past three years; the law, the press and former squeeze Kate Moss are all targets of his toxic words. In "UnBiloTitled," he even manages to spray all three: "You think that you own me/Why don't you fuck off?" Doherty remains nostalgic for a past he was never part of. He still loves everything about the '60s: Kinks-style riffs, free love and, of course, the awesome drugs.